Dec. 7 and Sept. 11.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; that alone is cause for Americans to pause and remember one of the nation's darkest hours. But this anniversary also provides an opportunity to address the understandable, but often overly stated, comparisons of Pearl Harbor with this year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon.

There are legitimate comparisons:

At Pearl Harbor, more than 2,400 civilian and military people were killed. At the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, between 3,000 and 4,000 are believed to have been killed.

In both instances, there were ample warnings of danger and potential attack; in both cases, such warnings were either ignored or downplayed.

In both cases, Americans' first reaction was incredulity and disbelief, followed by an overwhelming sense of national unity and resolve.

At Pearl Harbor, sailors and Marines risked their lives to rescue comrades from sinking and burning ships, and at the World Trade Center, especially, stories abound of firefighters and police officers risking their lives by racing into the burning, smoke-filled towers to rescue people inside.

Both attacks inspired rumors of other attacks. In 1941, Californians - and probably some Oregonians - figured the West Coast was to be invaded by Japanese troops. In September of this year, rumors abounded that the White House, Air Force One or the Capitol were the next targets.

And, sadly but perhaps inevitably, both attacks inspired widespread suspicions of - and in some cases, violence against - Americans who "looked different." In 1941, it was Japanese-Americans. Today, it is Arab-Americans.

Despite these similarities, there are also great differences between Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11. The most obvious is that the attack on Pearl Harbor ushered the United States into World War II. Not only did President Roosevelt ask Congress to declare war on Japan, but he also persuaded the members to declare war on Germany. The Sept. 11 attacks triggered another kind of war, one waged against mostly unseen and largely unhinged fanatics.

Immediately after Pearl Harbor, the nation mobilized for battle. Men and women across the land enlisted in the armed services or began work in factories and shipyards to replace those who had enlisted. After Sept. 11, Americans were united against terrorism but more or less returned to the lives they led before the attacks, more subdued perhaps but still seeking "normalcy." There were some enlistments in the military after Sept. 11, but nothing like after Pearl Harbor, an event that ultimately led to more than 15 million Americans donning the uniforms of their country.

Another difference: The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the Great Depression to an end. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon amounted to yet another body blow to a tailspinning economy. And still another difference, as NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw noted in a piece he wrote for The New York Times: In 1941 the United States was the 18th largest military power in the world. Today, this country is a military colossus, by far the most militarily powerful nation in world history.

Both Dec. 7 and Sept. 11 need to be remembered - for the lives lost, certainly, but also for the aftermath, the coming together of a diverse nation. Pearl Harbor ushered in not only a world war, but also a new America. Its horrors were no worse than those of Sept. 11, but its impact is still felt 60 years later.